Oct 11, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Engineering Management, Master of Science


Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
502 Engineering Center  (map)
(248) 370-2989 • Fax (248) 370-4625
www.oakland.edu/ise 
 

Coordinator: 
Vijitashwa Pandey
502B Engineering Center
(248) 370-2989
pandey2@oakland.edu
 

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Program description

The Master of Science in engineering management degree is offered by the School of Engineering and Computer Science in cooperation with the School of Business Administration. The program is intended for students with a bachelor’s degree in any field of engineering (industrial and systems, mechanical, electrical, civil, etc.) and has as its goal the provision of the tools and skills necessary for making sound management decisions in industry and business while retaining one’s commitment to a specialized engineering field of endeavor. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering technology, information technology or related fields will be considered for admission, but they may be required to take one or more preparatory courses in engineering.

Program delivery

The program is available either on campus, online, or hybrid.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

  • February 15 (early) April 15 (regular) and July 15 (late) for fall semester
  • October 1 (early) and November 15 (regular) for winter semester
  • March 1 (regular) for summer semester
  • International applicants  

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

   

Additional department application requirements

  • Requirements for recommendations:
    • Two recommendation forms must be from faculty members of the undergraduate major department or professionals in the field who can evaluate the scholarly achievement and potential of the applicant. These recommendations form an important part of the admission credentials.
  • Applicants must submit official scores of their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) if they graduated from an institution not accredited by a regional accrediting agency of the USA. The department may choose to waive the GRE requirement if at least one of the following special circumstances is met:
    • Applicant’s last degree is from a U.S. institution accredited by a regional accrediting agency.
    • Applicant’s overall GPA from last degree is at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
    • Applicant has worked in the USA for at least two years in the engineering profession.
    • To request a waiver, applicants must submit a    form to the Graduate School as part of the application packet. The request for waiver is subject to the approval of the Graduate Admissions Committee.
  • Bachelor of Science in any engineering major (mechanical, industrial, electrical, computer, chemical, etc.). Applicants from other disciplines such as computer science, engineering technology, information technology and software engineering, will be considered for admission; however, they may be required to take additional engineering courses.
  • Admission to master’s program is selective; applicants should have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or better for regular admission.
  • If the applicant’s undergraduate GPA is between 2.7 and 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, admission with limited standing may be offered. For applicants for whom the GRE is not waived, a 70% or better percentile score of the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section is required.
  • For applicants graduated from an institution not accredited by a regional accrediting agency of the USA, a 70% or better percentile score of the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section is required.
  • Applicants from institutions with which Oakland University has an articulation agreement containing alternative admission criteria will be admitted according to the criteria in that agreement.

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Related links

Degree requirements


To be awarded the Master of Science in engineering management degree the student must:

  • Successfully complete a minimum of 35-36 credits of graduate level work as specified below.
  • Earn a grade-point average of at least 3.0 in courses applied toward the degree.
  • Satisfy all requirements concerning Academic Progress.

A student must fulfill the following program requirements to be awarded the Master of Science in engineering management degree:

Course requirements


Program courses


Group A engineering courses (select 8 credits)

  • Select 8 credits of 5000- and/or 6000-level courses from the disciplines of ISE (excluding ISE 5001, 5002, and 5003), SYS, ECE, ME, or CSE (excluding CSE 5005, 5006, 5007, and 5008). Note that the satisfaction of the prerequisites for any given course on this list may depend upon the engineering discipline of the student’s B.S. degree.
Group C elective course (select 3 to 4 credits**)

Master’s thesis


Although the engineering management master’s degree requirements may be satisfied by taking only coursework, a master’s thesis (ISE 6998) may be included as part of the program in place of Group A courses.

Students electing a thesis option must accumulate 8 credits of ISE 6998. Successful completion and defense of a thesis is a prerequisite for earning thesis credits. Students choosing the thesis option must select an advisory committee, which is composed of at least three faculty members from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. The selection of the committee and the plan of study must be approved by the ISE Department chair.

The chair (major professor) of the advisory committee will direct and guide the research. The student must propose a research topic to the committee for approval; however, a formal presentation of the proposal is not necessary. The completed thesis must conform to university standards (see Thesis and Dissertation ). At the completion of the research and its documentation, the content of the thesis must be publicly presented and defended. Successful defense of the thesis is a prerequisite for earning the research credits.

Courses with asterisks (*, **)


  *  These courses are cross-listed as advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. If completed as a
      4000-level course or equivalent as part of a baccalaureate degree, the course may be used to offset graduate
      program requirements. However, credit will not then be awarded and must be earned by completion of an
      approved substitute course.
** Some of the courses in this group may serve as prerequisites for above courses.

Satisfactory academic progress


Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing


All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing  throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

  • Holding a Graduate Assistantship
  • Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
  • Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
  • Going on a leave of absence
  • Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Department requirements:  The minimum satisfactory grade for graduate work is B. Credit for completion of a course in the Master of Science program will be given for grades of B- or above but no more than two grades may be B-. Graduate credit will not be awarded for grades below B-. To repeat a course, a student must have the permission of the graduate committee of the school.

All grades received as a graduate student are used in computing the GPA except that, if a course has been repeated, the most recent grade is used in the calculation of the GPA. A graduate student is placed on academic probation if the student’s overall GPA drops below 3.0 or if the student receives more than one grade below B, including the original grade(s) of any repeated course(s). A graduate student receiving a grade less than B while on probation is subject to dismissal. A graduate student receiving more than two grades below B is subject to dismissal whether or not the student was put on probation previously.

In all programs the minimum grade point requirement is an average of at least 3.0. If a student’s GPA is less than 3.0 after having attempted 16 credits, the student will be recommended for dismissal from the program.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information


Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility  section of this catalog.)

Note:  Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Course approval

Approval by the master’s degree adviser and the department chair is required for independent study, engineering projects, master’s thesis or special topics courses that are used toward the degree. In addition, approval of the faculty administering the independent study, advising the thesis or project or teaching the special topics course must be obtained before registering for these credits.

Course credit

Graduate credit is awarded only for courses numbered 5000 or higher.  Course credit will not be awarded for work applied toward another degree. Students who have received credit for the 4000-level version of an OU slash course (4000/5000 course) cannot receive credit toward a graduate degree for the 5000-level version of that course.

No more than 8 thesis or project credits may be used toward the degree requirements.

Workload and scheduling

Full-time students must register for 8 to 12 credits per semester. Graduate assistants must be full-time students and commit 20 hours per week toward their research or teaching assistantship assignment. Graduate assistants normally register for only 8 credits per semester; however, a 12-credit load can be taken with the approval of the chair of the department.

For the convenience of part-time students employed in industry, courses are arranged in the evening, and some are also online. However, these students should be aware of the very real demands of graduate studies and should keep outside work commitments and their academic load in balance.

Master’s adviser

The progress of each regular student toward the Master of Science degree is directed by the student’s adviser, a faculty member of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering who is assigned at the time of admission. Incoming students seeking the degree are urged to discuss their proposed concentration area with their adviser or other faculty members in that area. Students who wish to change their adviser can do so with the approval of the chair of the department.